Intentionally aging cigars?

[Old Smokey]

For some odd reason, the thought of aging cigars has always intrigued me. And once I had been smoking long enough to figure out what I liked, I have bought and set about a half dozen boxes back for this purpose that are almost 4 years old now. I think it's time to smoke a couple from each box and see how they are doing.

Anyone else doing something similar?

[Hardheaded]

I have a box of cigars I am intentionally only smoking once per year to see how they change. I also have a second box of a different cigar that I only smoke a few times a year, so that will end up similarly.

Those are the only two that I have even tried to age intentionally. Anything else has been accidental and never really for long enough to really call it aging.

[cheaphumidors]

I have an entire humidor dedicated to aging sticks. Each drawer is labeled with the date they started.

[Old Smokey]

I have an entire humidor dedicated to aging sticks. Each drawer is labeled with the date they started.

Kayla, I know you are a married woman, but I think I love you!:makeout:

[jhedrick83]

There are cigars both Cuban and Non that I buy with the specific intent of aging. However, thanks to having a toddler, everything is aging unintentionally! I'd be curious to see what everyone puts away to age. For example, I have a bunch of Master Blend III and LADC Mi Amor that I'm leaving along for several years. I like them fresh but with 4-6 years on them, they are awesome!

[cheaphumidors]

Kayla, I know you are a married woman, but I think I love you!:makeout:

I'm glad you approve of my OCD personality flaws :)

[jhedrick83]

Kayla, I know you are a married woman, but I think I love you!:makeout:

Steve- I keep a spreadsheet for all my cigars. Wanna snuggle?! :heartpump:

[Old Smokey]

Steve- I keep a spreadsheet for all my cigars. Wanna snuggle?! :heartpump:

Well Jesse, I appreciate the offer, but I think you have been soiled by DogRockets so I'll have to think about it.

I also find I don't smoke often enough and all of my cigars are aging. But intentionally I have a box of Anejo Sharks, Anejo OR 888's, Anejo 46's and a box of Don Carlos Personal Reserve 80th. I also have a mixed bag of about 150 various Opus X that have been napping for 2-3 years. Yes, I am a Fuente whore.

[DogRockets]

Well Jesse, I appreciate the offer, but I think you have been soiled by DogRockets so I'll have to think about it.

I also find I don't smoke often enough and all of my cigars are aging. But intentionally I have a box of Anejo Sharks, Anejo OR 888's, Anejo 46's and a box of Don Carlos Personal Reserve 80th. I also have a mixed bag of about 150 various Opus X that have been napping for 2-3 years. Yes, I am a Fuente whore.

Sharks with 4-5 years of age on them are amazing!

And don't worry about jhedrick83, but yes, as they say, "Once you go DogRockets, you're gonna need a wheelchair"

[Old Smokey]

Sharks with 4-5 years of age on them are amazing!

And don't worry about jhedrick83, but yes, as they say, "Once you go DogRockets, you're gonna need a wheelchair"

So that's how Jesse messed up his back. Did you give him an adjustment at the Orgy or did you pass him around like a joint at a rock concert?

[droy1958]

Well Jesse, I appreciate the offer, but I think you have been soiled by DogRockets so I'll have to think about it.

I also find I don't smoke often enough and all of my cigars are aging. But intentionally I have a box of Anejo Sharks, Anejo OR 888's, Anejo 46's and a box of Don Carlos Personal Reserve 80th. I also have a mixed bag of about 150 various Opus X that have been napping for 2-3 years. Yes, I am a Fuente whore.

That's a fine nap room Steve!..... those 888 are as good as the 46, or maybe better....

[Haebar]

I have two "Havana Footlockers" dedicated to aging cigars; most of them are around 5-6 years old now. They were not marked when purchased but I did keep a record of when they were purchased in an Excel spreadsheet.

[Old Smokey]

That's a fine nap room Steve!..... those 888 are as good as the 46, or maybe better....

Thanks David. I agree on the 888's. They are my favorite Anejo. They are almost 3 years old as they were released Aug 2015. My first aged Anejo was a 5 yr old Shark and it blew my mind, followed shortly by my checking acct.

[Ilroy]

I have a question...Let's say I decided to set aside and/or buy some cigars specifically for aging rather than just resting until their turn came up to burn. Do I want to store them at the same RH as my regular wineador, or is it better to age them at a different RH, and if so, higher or lower?

[TCBSmokes]

I have a question...Let's say I decided to set aside and/or buy some cigars specifically for aging rather than just resting until their turn came up to burn. Do I want to store them at the same RH as my regular wineador, or is it better to age them at a different RH, and if so, higher or lower?

@llroy. I recently stumbled on an article related to that subject, and there was talk about varying rh as well as temperature (and which separates aging from just resting). See if I can find it for you.

[FidelCastro]

Been an "ager" for nearly 20 years...Opus and Cohiba Espys comprise most of my collection...I0 boxes of Opus from 2000 to 2015....10 boxes of Espys, Siglos from 2000 to 2014. These are my fav's and they are a religious experience every time I pull one out.

[Sir Lancerolot]

I bought a couple of boxes of Sancho Panza MM Quixotes when I was fairly new to the hobby. I let one rest for a year and tried aging the other for 3 years. Discovered that Quixotes have an expiry. The rested box was great; the aged box lost a lot of flavor.

Currently I'm aging one Cohiba lancero for retirement. That's one STICK, not one box ... I think I put it away in 2012. I know it's marked with the acquisition date, but I don't remember it offhand and I'm not going to go dig it up to check. So, another 6 years to go.

[Brimy]

Aging some CC's bought, split them in half. Don't remember the box codes, but I've had them for 2+ years.

NC's are aging not by choice, but by shear # & the NE winters.

[allusred]

Aging some CC's bought, split them in half. Don't remember the box codes, but I've had them for 2+ years.

NC's are aging not by choice, but by shear # & the NE winters.

Hello Brian, Have read your post twice but still a bit confused.
Don't know about aging cigars. Have enjoyed smoking some that I've gotten with some "extra" time on them.
Do know some who've cut longer cigars i.e Churchills in half prior to smoking...well, yeah would have to be before smoking would it not.
Spliting cigars in half and aging them...this is the bit that confuses me.
Have seen pix of cigars split in half, meant just to show how the cigar was made.
What I'm wondering is this: Once you've aged the cigars and I assume you'd be keeping the two halves together, to made the reassembly as smooth as possible.
How do you plan to re-unite the split halves ?
By adding another wrapper ?
That would change the flavour, and thus negate the value or purpose of the aging would it not ?

[Brimy]

Hello Brian, Have read your post twice but still a bit confused.
Don't know about aging cigars. Have enjoyed smoking some that I've gotten with some "extra" time on them.
Do know some who've cut longer cigars i.e Churchills in half prior to smoking...well, yeah would have to be before smoking would it not.
Spliting cigars in half and aging them...this is the bit that confuses me.
Have seen pix of cigars split in half, meant just to show how the cigar was made.
What I'm wondering is this: Once you've aged the cigars and I assume you'd be keeping the two halves together, to made the reassembly as smooth as possible.
How do you plan to re-unite the split halves ?
By adding another wrapper ?
That would change the flavour, and thus negate the value or purpose of the aging would it not ?

Sorry for being unclear!
I split the quantity bought in half.

[WNYTONY]

Can't say that I've bought any specific boxes with the intent of holding them until Old Smokey buys new underwear, but in general I buy with the intent of being able to let them nap for a few months to a few years before they get torched.

[CentralTimeSmoke]

I think buying an entire box and aging it for a significant amount of time is a bit perilous unless you're smoking a few along the way. Many, many cigars do not get better with years of rest. You might pop the top on one, and realize you missed their prime.

I purchased a bunch of sticks from a guy on another forum with many years of rest on them. He was a good BOTL, and took great care of them. Of the 10 or so different varieties I purchased, I'd say that about three of them really shined. The others were clearly over-aged. Not bad, but they just had lost their zing.

At the end of the day, everything is subjective. I'm someone who enjoys full-tilt Nicaraguans with lots of pepper and spice. These things are the first to go in the aging process. So I rarely want a cigar that has more than a year of rest. But someone else might really like the pepper to come down in a particular smoke to enjoy more nuances. Again, this is why I highly recommend smoking one every 8 months or so to see how they're changing.

[Old Smokey]

I think buying an entire box and aging it for a significant amount of time is a bit perilous unless you're smoking a few along the way. Many, many cigars do not get better with years of rest. You might pop the top on one, and realize you missed their prime.

I purchased a bunch of sticks from a guy on another forum with many years of rest on them. He was a good BOTL, and took great care of them. Of the 10 or so different varieties I purchased, I'd say that about three of them really shined. The others were clearly over-aged. Not bad, but they just had lost their zing.

At the end of the day, everything is subjective. I'm someone who enjoys full-tilt Nicaraguans with lots of pepper and spice. These things are the first to go in the aging process. So I rarely want a cigar that has more than a year of rest. But someone else might really like the pepper to come down in a particular smoke to enjoy more nuances. Again, this is why I highly recommend smoking one every 8 months or so to see how they're changing.

Sean, I agree, a person should be selective on what they are buying to intentionally age. The boxes I am aging are Opus X and Anejos? Both of which I believe will age very well. I have smoked cigars that have aged well beyond their Prime and they were almost totally tasteless. CC's seem to be another good example of tobacco that seem to age well.

[Ciro]

I've never purchased cigars for aging, but because I'm constantly buying and not smoking as much there are a few boxes and sticks in my humidors that have 10+ years on them.